BALTIMORE  Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Baltimore, Inc. welcomed 10 new volunteers in November who have completed 30 hours of training and approximately three hours of courtroom observation.

Ashley Aubas of Catonsville; Kandice Polk of Bel Air-Parkside; Paige Cantlin of Mt. Vernon; Lauren Richardson of Cockeysville; Dan Feller of Elkridge; Lauren Seldomridge of Canton; Selwyn Finch of Uplands; Clint Stanley of Nottingham; Gordon James of Bel Air; and Carlton Thomas of Penn-Fallsway were sworn in as “CASAs,” by Judge Robert Kershaw and are now officially able to advocate for abused or neglected children in foster care.

This group of CASAs includes a volunteer firefighter, a business manager, an AmeriCorps volunteer, an attorney and a Kennedy Krieger Institute employee.

“Aside from being able to give an articulate, adult voice to someone who doesn’t have one, I think hearing that a child no longer needs a CASA because he or she is has been returned to or placed in a permanent and stable home will be the most rewarding part of my volunteer work,” says Seldomridge, who is the Assistant City Solicitor for the Baltimore Police Department Legal Affairs Division.

Likewise, Aubas is also excited about the opportunity to work with foster youth. “I have a passionate dedication to helping children of all ages who are in need,” says the Umoja Academy teacher.

“We are pleased to welcome our new volunteers, and we look forward to recruiting and training more volunteers who will make a difference in a child’s life,” says Evangula Brown, CASA of Baltimore’s senior manager of volunteer recruitment and training.

Founded in 1988, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Baltimore, Inc. serves abused and neglected children by representing their voices in the Baltimore City court system and advocating for their best interests in the judicial; educational; medical; and social service communities.

For more information about CASA or becoming a CASA volunteer, visit: www.casabalt.org.